Research

A Warm Dense Matter Machine Moves Toward Fusion Energy

Warm dense matter exists in the cores of gas giant planets and the preliminary stages of nuclear fusion, among other inaccessible places. Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator and Fusion Research Division is building a specialized user facility so scientists can study it in the laboratory. The Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-II is a project of the Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Laboratory, which is a collaboration among Berkeley Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. More>

Health and Wellness: Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued valuable new guidance to help employers and employees understand their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) during a pandemic flu outbreak. The guidelines answer important questions that might arise, such as:

Does the ADA allow employers to require employees to stay home if they have symptoms of the pandemic influenza virus?

When employees return to work, does the ADA allow employers to require doctors’ notes certifying their fitness for duty?

How much information may an employer request from an employee who calls in sick in order to protect the rest of its workforce when a pandemic appears imminent?

IT: Service Outage on Sunday Morning

Central window file system, shared and home directories, software download site, webspace, printing, and anti-virus update service will be unavailable this Sunday morning from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. The outage is required for a hardware replacement procedure. For more information, contact the Help Desk (x4357).

CSEE: Help Bring Science to Local Schools

Interested in bringing science to your child’s classroom or local school? The Center for Science and Engineering Education (CSEE) offers resource kits developed with the help of the Lawrence Hall of Science for age-appropriate, kid-tested and educationally sound science activities. Scientific and non-scientific staff are welcome to participate. No special expertise is required. To check out a kit, attend one of the short preparatory lunchtime workshops, held Mondays in Building 7, Room 211, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The next workshop is Nov. 2, Bubbles: Liquid Explorations for grades 1-3. To register, or for more information about these and other workshops, contact CSEE@lbl.gov.

OCFO: Property Management to Sponsor Fall Lab Wide Clean Up

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer's (OCFO) Property Management Division is sponsoring a fall cleanup at no cost to requesters. Facilities will be accepting electronic work request orders from Oct. 19 to Oct. 30, with the pick-up of material starting on Nov. 2. The clean up effort will run for 10 days and is expected to be completed by Nov. 13. Due to the large volume of work orders to be processed, there will be no special scheduling on any pick-up requests. All material or equipment must be less than 250 pounds and no hazardous waste or universal e-waste will be accepted. Request a pick-up online and click the "cleanup" box. Include a description of all items and attach a transportation authorization form (TAF) to all items. For information about hazardous or universal waste pick-ups, contact your Division Safety Liaison.

Policy: Veterans’ Day Holiday Option

Eligible employees have the option of using Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11, as a paid holiday (if Cesar Chavez Day has not already been taken as one), with approval from their supervisor. Those who have taken Cesar Chavez Day as a holiday or who will take Veterans’ Day as a holiday must use a vacation day or leave of absence without pay on Dec. 28. Read the Limited Floating Holiday Implementation Guidance for information on eligibility and time-entry procedures. Laboratory policy concerning holidays is contained in the Regulations and Procedures Manual (RPM), Section 2.10. Go here to view the Laboratory's holiday schedule.

Special Event: Craft Fair Showcases Handmade Items

The annual Berkeley Lab craft fair will be held Dec. 10 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. Sponsored by the Employee Activities
Association, past fairs have featured a variety of handmade goods for sale,
such as jewelry, photography, art glass, candles, baked goods, jams and
jellies, hand-sewn crafts, hand-knitted and crocheted items, paintings, and
pottery. If you are interested in having a booth at the craft fair, contact
Robin Mitchell (RDMitchell@lbl.gov).